Group
Tries To Restart Arlington Urn ProjectRepair
Stalled For National Cemetery Object19
November 2003

BROOKLINE,
NEW HAMPSHIRE -- A local women's group is trying to get a piece of the
National Women's War Memorial put back. The problem is, it's stuck in New
Hampshire.

Urn
Funds May Be Tied Up In InsuranceFor
three years, a half-finished granite urn has sat idle outside a Brookline
art school. It's supposed to sit atop a post at the entrance of the Arlington
National Cemetery in Virginia, but because of some red tape, the project
is in limbo.

"I'd
like to see something done to get it completed, either by myself or by
other sculptors," sculptor John Weidman said.

Six
years ago, Wiedman was given the task of creating a replica of the original
urn that was mounted at Arlington National Cemetery. In 1997, the 7-ton
urn fell 40 feet in a plumbing accident and broke in two.

A granite
block was delivered to Wiedman, who worked on the project for two years.

"They
said, 'Go ahead. Don't worry," Wiedman said. "I needed a contract, and
they gave me a nice down payment. They said it would keep coming and not
to worry about it."

Wiedman
said he was only paid $4,000, far short of the $110,000 minimum required
for the job. When he asked for more money, he said he was told to stop
the work.

The
Brookline Women's Club is now trying to restart the neglected project.
Member Lynne Abt said the funds for the urn are likely tied up in an overdue
insurance claim.

"It
just feels incomplete," Abt said.

Abt
is also asking her local representative for help. If the funds don't exist,
her group has pledged to raise money to ensure that the memorial urn doesn't
get forgotten.